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Cinderella’s Sister: Episode 1

Cinderella’s Sister is off to a strong start, not just in ratings but with some really stellar characterizations. It’s not as simplistic a switcheroo as My Love Patzzi, which was also a reversed Cinderella story but only in the most superficial way. Cinderella’s Sister doesn’t just take the characters and rearrange them into different configurations, but reworks them in a thorough and intricate way. I’ve already given my initial thoughts in the first impressions post, so without further ado, here’s Episode 1.

SONG OF THE DAY

Cinderella’s Sister OST – “너 아니면 안돼” (It Has To Be You). This is the song by Yesung that was in the MV. [ Download ]

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EPISODE 1 RECAP

In a small, shabby hilltop home, a teenage girl cooks silently, stoically. She is SONG EUN-JO (Moon Geun-young), whose face remains impassive even at the sudden burst of shouting adult voices. She is joined by a young boy, HAN JUNG-WOO (later to be played by Taecyeon), rotund in his baseball uniform — a good-hearted kid, if a little slow on the uptake.

Case in point: Eun-jo immediately understands what’s about to happen — having lived through it countless times before — and sits down to eat quickly, but Jung-woo does not. He is perplexed at her reaction until she explains that she doesn’t know where her next meal is coming from, so she’s gotta eat up. Now Jung-woo gets it — if she’s leaving, his only source of food will also soon be gone — and he hurriedly grabs a bowl and shovels food into his mouth.

The shouting comes from Eun-jo’s mother and Jung-woo’s father (surrogate, if not biological). He is a mean drunk and has hit Mom (name Kang-sook, played by Lee Mi-sook) for the last time, because she’s not taking it anymore and is determined to leave him. Desperate to keep her, he begs her to stay.

As in so many abusive relationships, the batterer’s remorse soon turns to anger that his girlfriend is leaving him, and the argument becomes violent. When Eun-jo’s mother screams for her, Eun-jo and Jung-woo race to the room, where the man is threatening Kang-sook with a baseball bat. Eun-jo takes him down, and Jung-woo (bless his heart) races outside with his bat, throwing it down the hill. (I felt a burst of emotion at the gesture, because baseball obviously means a lot to him but this shows that growing up with such a mean ol’ guy hasn’t corrupted his own sense of what’s right.)

The bat comes to rest at a distance, displaying the message written on its side in a boyish scrawl: “Song Eun-jo is Han Jung-woo’s woman forever.”

Daughter grabs Mom’s hand and the two race down the hill together. Drunk Boyfriend shouts after them, alternately threatening and begging, and runs in pursuit.

When they reach the bottom of the hill, Boyfriend pleads, “Kang-sook, don’t go!” Jung-woo shouts, “Noona, don’t get caught and go! Eat well and be healthy!” And he completely wins me over with his next gesture — when the man starts to chase again, Jung-woo tackles him to let his noona escape.

It takes some persuading (okay, a lot of screaming) for Eun-jo to convince her mother to get on the train. Kang-sook yells that they have nowhere to go and orders the taxi driver to turn back. Eun-jo yells back that they’ve got nothing left for them there, that anywhere else is better. She brings out a box, asking if her mother’s reluctance to leave is because of the shiny diamond ring inside. If she’s worried that she didn’t get a chance to grab the ring, Eun-jo took care of it. Mom brightens immediately and orders the cab driver to the train station.

The ring had been hidden away by the Mean Boyfriend, who now discovers it missing. He may have lost his woman but he ain’t losing her AND his rock, so he sends some gangster buddies after them.

As the train prepares to depart, Eun-jo spies the gangsters boarding and looking around for them. Her mother is dozing, and she briefly attempts waking her… but then another thought occurs. She hesitates momentarily, then grabs her bag and steps carefully into the aisle, leaving Mom asleep in the seat.

Eun-jo’s narration:: “My mother has switched men at least a million times. Before I get stuck with my one-million-and-first father, I decide to leave my mother.”

Eun-jo stands poised at the exit door, about to step off the train…

But she can’t do it. She turns back and urgently wakes her mother, who wakes up with a gasp to see the men. They bolt for the back of the train, and the gangsters spot them and follow.

At the back of the train, they push through a crowd of students, who block the aisles as they goof around. Thankfully this also impedes their pursuers, but they still find themselves at a dead end. With nowhere else to go, mother and daughter split up and dive into separate lavatories.

Eun-jo’s is already occupied, and the occupant lets out a scream. Eun-jo claps a hand over the mouth of the young student to keep her quiet. This is GU HYO-SUN (Seo Woo).

And then, we speed away to pick up the story at a different locale, leaving behind Eun-jo and Kang-sook for the moment to introduce Hyo-sun’s world.

Hard at work at a makgulli (rice wine) warehouse is a young man, HONG KI-HOON (Chun Jung-myung), who loads a truck with cases of makgulli. Hyo-sun pops up to ask her oppa (as in a close family friend, not relative) why he hasn’t answered her calls. She’s got a big problem on her hands!

Morosely, Hyo-sun relates her source of trouble while Ki-hoon works, and as she is the owner’s daughter, her presence here raises no eyebrows. (Although, she did duck out of school just to talk to him.) She has lost something important — some sort of ring — and moans that she’s in huge trouble! She can’t remember where it went, and if she really lost it she’s doomed.

Ki-hoon is used to her “emergencies” and reminds her of all the other times she has lost things, which have all turned up eventually, if a little worse for wear.

You can tell from their interactions that they’ve known each other for ages. Ki-hoon treats her like an adorable kid sister, and she looks up to him as her friend, oppa, and problem-solver. When he drops her off at school, Hyo-sun is back to her usual cheery mood, and tells him he has eased all her worries: “Oppa, you’re mine. If you said the moon were square, I’d think it were square. If you said salt were sweet and sugar were salty, I’d drink saltwater and spit out sugar water.”

He teases that if he gets fired because she keeps holding him up with all her talky-talk, will she be able to take responsibility for him? She declares, “Since you’re mine, you’d better not think of anyone else!”

Hyo-sun has a visitor at school, who finds her in the hallway (where she’s being punished for skipping out of class). It’s Kang-sook, the lady from the train, and now Hyo-sun’s fretting over the lost ring makes sense.

The gangsters had managed to drag Kang-sook and Eun-jo back to the house, where Eun-jo currently waits. But before they were returned, they’d given the ring to Hyo-sun for safekeeping, not willing to let the Horrible Boyfriend get his hands on it. Now she’s here to recover it, and Hyo-sun leads her to her home, chattering happily all the way.

As soon as they near the vicinity of the house, two ajummas greet Hyo-sun worriedly. Her father’s on a rampage, and they urge her home quickly.

This is because Hyo-sun is the only one who has the ability to calm her father down when he’s in a snit. GU DAE-SUNG (Kim Gab-soo), the owner of the makgulli enterprise, is furious with his employees for making a subpar batch of the rice wine, which he deems unfit to sell. In a fury, he breaks the earthen jars and scolds them all for their inferior work.

Hyo-sun jumps in and urges her father to calm down. Kneeling before him, she tells him solemnly that half these men are her friends’ fathers. She even fakes a few sobs, and when Dad seems appropriately chastened, she charms the sulks out of him with a few childish faces. He’s a gruff man, but he dotes on his only daughter, and the dour mood is lifted.

Watching all this is Kang-sook, who hangs back uncertainly. The ajummas cluck disapprovingly, saying that Dae-sung wasn’t nearly this bad when his wife used to be alive. At mention of this — and the grandness of the estate — Kang-sook’s interest is piqued. You can practically see the gold-diggery gears turning in her brain as she files all this information away. Hyo-sun darts into the house for a moment to search for the ring, trying to remember where she put it.

Kang-sook had been irritable and snappish on the walk here, but now she adjusts her attitude and tries to sweet-talk the ajummas, offering to help with their work. They have no idea who she is and eye her suspiciously, declining her offer. Kang-sook persists, and in so doing she accidentally gets in the way of some water being thrown out and ends up a sopping, fishy-smelling mess.

Hyo-sun gives Kang-sook a change of clothing. As nothing else is available, it turns out to be a dress once belonging to her dead mother.

When Hyo-sun sees the lady in her mother’s dress, she gapes at the sight, unexpectedly moved. All she can say is “You’re really beautiful,” struck with how much Kang-sook reminds her of her mother. Her eyes slowly fill with tears and her voice trembles, explaining, “The clothes really look good on you.”

Kang-sook is startled to see Hyo-sun crying and wipes her tears away gently. She pats the girl’s head and draws her in a hug. Hyo-sun, feeling a tug at this reminder of a mother’s touch, asks her to pat her on the head again, and hugs her close.

I don’t think Kang-sook’s comforting gesture is calculated, but the girl’s reaction is definitely noted. You can’t really blame Kang-sook for leaping to conclusions when Hyo-sun herself does the same. Finally recalling that she left the ring in her travel bag, Hyo-sun asks her uncle if knows where it is. He offers to retrieve it for her, but she urges him instead, “Hide it for me.”

Hearing that Dae-sung scolded his daughter fiercely when he heard that she was entrusted with a ring from a stranger, Kang-sook offers to explain the situation. She enters Dae-sung’s office with a demure air, and he stares at her in surprise — not only is she lovely, she’s wearing his deceased wife’s dress. If anything’s going to prod him to look at her as a woman, this is it.

Dae-sung stammers in surprise and is stuck staring as she apologizes about the ring. In a calculated move, she approaches Dae-sung — coming uncomfortably close — and requests a favor of him. With affected humility, Kang-sook explains that Hyo-sun lent the bag containing her ring to a friend. Until that friend returns, could he possibly allow her to stay, and give her some work?

Back at Jung-woo’s house, Eun-jo waits anxiously. The drunk ajusshi believes that Kang-sook has left him again, but Eun-jo insists that her presence is proof that Kang-sook is going to come back. He challenges, “Do you believe your mother? Do you really believe she’s going to come back, just because you’re here?”

Eun-jo answers firmly, “Of course” — but it’s clear that this pricks at her own uncertainty. She tries to tamp down that thought, insisting that her mother has never abandoned her, but she’s assailed by the fear that he may be right.

Back at the Gu estate, Hyo-sun races home excitedly, her middle finger stuck straight in the air. It’s not a vulgar gesture — rather, she has gotten a splinter stuck in her finger and is excited to have this excuse for some motherly attention. She beelines for Kang-sook and announces happily, “I’m hurt!”

When Kang-sook pulls the splinter out, Hyo-sun grabs the shard and tucks it away, wanting to preserve it as a keepsake. Then, eager for some more maternal bonding, she leans into Kang-sook and raises the woman’s hand to pat her on the head.

This scene is witnessed by a few men, who can see plainly how Hyo-sun is bonding with the new ajumma. The man on the left is Hyo-sun’s uncle (her mother’s brother), who grunts his disapproval. It’s hard to know exactly how the other two men feel — Ki-hoon and Dae-sung — but they aren’t upset like the uncle. Maybe conflicted is a better word.

That evening, Kang-sook takes another step toward her goal, using a torn buttonhole as an excuse to approach Dae-sung and touch his shirt. She can sense his attraction to her, but given his awkwardness with his feelings, she takes things slowly.

For instance: She asks Dae-sung for directions to the market, so that she can buy materials to pack Hyo-sun’s lunch. Even though it’s far, she says she is fine walking. Of course that will not do, so Dae-sung brings out his bicycle, and offers her a ride.

Modestly, Kang-sook says she can go alone, but accepts the ride. Along the way, she lightly kicks the back wheel to cause the bike to lurch, enabling her to grab his torso before pulling back, feigning embarrassment. A few moments later, she gives the wheel a stronger kick, enabling a longer embrace this time. And finally, a third kick sends them tumbling to the ground.

Yet all is not hunky-dory, because Hyo-sun’s uncle does not approve of this growing relationship. Ki-hoon comes upon Hyo-sun sobbing alone, and she wails, “Uncle gave her the ring!”

With no excuse keeping her here, Kang-sook has to leave. Without a reason to ask her to stay, Hyo-sun and Dae-sung have to let her go.

Ki-hoon confronts Dae-sung, who is sorry to see Kang-sook go but too passive to do anything about it. Ki-hoon tells him that he ought to go after her — working together, they can hit the bus and train stations and catch her before she’s gone. Can’t he see how happy Hyo-sun has been lately? It’s like she’s back to being a happy 7-year-old (the age her mother died), but if Kang-sook suddenly leaves, it’ll be like a 7-year-old losing her mother all over again.

Ki-hoon and Hyo-sun head for the train station. His words are enough to prod Dae-sung to seek out the bus stop, where Kang-sook waits for her ride.

Dae-sung asks how she can leave a girl who is crying for her, using Hyo-sun as his excuse to suggest that she stay. Kang-sook answers that she also has a daughter who is likely crying for her (ha!), so Dae-sung says that her daughter can join her. He’ll go and retrieve her, so they can both live here.

Just to make things absolutely clear, Kang-sook asks if Dae-sung’s response is purely out of concern for Hyo-sun’s sake. (Implicit question: How do you feel about me?)

He gulps, then grabs her in a hug.

It’s been days since Kang-sook has been gone, and Jung-woo chatters to Eun-jo about how she doesn’t have to worry about anything, because he’ll take care of her. After all, her mother has run away and left her behind. Eun-jo asks him if he really believes that, and he answers yes, of course.

His confirmation makes Eun-jo’s expression harden… but surprisingly, she thinks with a smirk, “Hurray.”

While Eun-jo was unable to be the one to leave her mother, now that her mother has left her, she finds her path clear. She moves briskly, stocking the fridge with food and packing her bag. Jung-woo tries to act manly and insists that she stay, but she shoots him a sharp look. Without her mother, she’s sure that she can be happy on her own.

Eun-jo ignores Jung-woo’s pleas not to leave, but she only gets as far as the front gate before being stopped. Two men appear and inquire after her: Hyo-sun’s uncle and Ki-hoon. The latter smiles warmly at her; she rolls her eyes in a surly gesture.

In the car, Ki-hoon looks back at the sullen Eun-jo and speaks to her in a friendly way. She eyes him warily, then asks for a bathroom break. While the men wait for her outside the building, Eun-jo runs out the back way.

This scene is one of the definitive moments in this episode, and has already been pegged as many people’s favorite. I don’t disagree, as the combination of the music, the camera work, and Eun-jo’s melancholy narrating create a striking ambiance:

Eun-jo’s narration: “I won’t stop. Even if I have to spend days rooting around garbage cans, I’m not going to go live with my mother Song Kang-sook, or whatever worthless man she’s clinging to.”

Ki-hoon chases her down the road, hand outstretched to grab her. He is nearly successful, but his hand only connects with the pencil in her hair, bringing the rest of her long locks tumbling down…

The effect is eerily beautiful, as Eun-jo looks back at him amidst her flying hair, looking like a wounded animal. She continues running, but that brief image has Ki-hoon mesmerized, and he stops running, as though forgetting to continue.

It’s not purely a case of realizing her beauty — I’d be vastly annoyed if we once again played into the trope of a man not finding a woman beautiful until he is hit in the face with a Great Big Flag of Femininity, like a gorgeous waterfall of hair or pretty clothes or a made-up face. It is more that Ki-hoon is transfixed with the image of her vulnerability in this moment, at this glimpse into the humanity underneath her cynical veneer. There’s a beauty in that, but not of the purely physical kind.

And then he brings himself back to his senses, resumes the chase, and catches up to her. She fights back, grabbing his hair and biting his hand, but he maneuvers her into a judo flip which lands her on the ground.

Winded, he lies down beside her as they catch their breaths. Her mom said she wouldn’t come easily, and that was no exaggeration. Eun-jo remains stubbornly silent as Ki-hoon asks if she has money or a place to go. He knows she must be worried about how to survive on her own. She’s not going to find it easy to make it alone, particularly at her age.

However, he adds that things will be different once she’s 20 — the Korean age of majority — so why doesn’t she endure a bit longer till then?

Eun-jo maintains her sulky exterior, but oddly, his words have an effect on her. She thinks grudgingly:

Eun-jo: “It’s strange. It feels really strange. The way he talks, I’d want to believe him even if he said the moon were square. I must be possessed by a ghost.”

At Hyo-sun’s house, Eun-jo argues with her mother, deeply cynical that this time will be any different from the many, many times they’ve lived off one of Kang-sook’s boyfriends. How long does she think they’ll last here? How is this any different from the other times they’ve mooched off one man after another? Eun-jo begs her mother to try afresh, just the two of them — surely they can manage together.

Kang-sook tries to hush her, saying this is all for her. Eun-jo screams in frustration: “Lies!” And then, sarcastically: “Do you live for my sake? Is that why you abandoned me?!”

That actually surprises Kang-sook, who had never thought of ditching her daughter. Eun-jo exclaims that her mother left her behind with that disgusting man. With horror, Kang-sook asks unsteadily if that man did anything to her. Eun-jo cries, “I was scared he would!” and that relieves Kang-sook’s fears.

Eun-jo declares that she will leave this place, so her mother is on her own now. She starts to leave, but Kang-sook stops her with the vow that this is the last time — now they don’t have to depend on lowlifes to feed them, or sleep in motels while on the run. Plus — and this last one speaks most closely to Eun-jo’s heart — she can start going to school regularly now.

Eun-jo is scared to believe her mother, but asks tentatively if she really means it. If they end up getting kicked out of this house too, she wants her mother to promise she’ll let her go.

Eun-jo is expecting another deadbeat, but she doesn’t betray any emotion upon meeting the gentle Dae-sung, who tries to speak kindly to her. He doesn’t know how to approach her or what to say, and wonders what he should do for her first. If she tells him what she wants, he’ll promise to do whatever she asks.

Eun-jo cuts him off: “I don’t need promises. I don’t believe in them. Rather than making any promises, just let me go to school.”

Just then, a voice calls out, “Hyo-sun is home!” Hyo-sun bursts into the room and notices the newcomer. Recognizing Eun-jo from the train, she claps a hand over her mouth and squeals. Ignoring Eun-jo’s glower of disdain, Hyo-sun exclaims, “Unni, hi!”

 
COMMENTS

What a great start. Right away, we have emotion, humor, wonderful chemistry, and characters who are real and interesting.

Take, for instance, Jung-woo. That kid won me over right away when he threw away his baseball bat, and again when he tackled the hateful boyfriend to let Eun-jo escape. Despite his declarations that he will “take responsibility” for Eun-jo, I read that as motivated by a pure spirit, not one born of a romantic crush but a general devotion to her. She may not coddle him with affectionate gestures but she has taken care of him for the past however many months. Actions speak louder than words, and he appreciates her. I suspect that this also points to Jung-woo — like Ki-hoon — being the rare person who sees past Eun-jo’s toughness to understand that there’s a good heart underneath.

I appreciate how the relationship has been set up between Eun-jo and Kang-sook, which is complicated and complex. Their escape gives us a glimpse into the reversed mother-daughter dynamics, because Eun-jo is the more mature one. Kang-sook even wants to stop running to change her shirt — this one’s ripped, you see — and whimpers a little to hear her boyfriend’s begging, which weakens her resolve. Eun-jo is the one who tugs her along.

Also note that Eun-jo and Kang-sook share the same surname (Song). This inidcates that Eun-jo has never had a proper father figure, and probably doesn’t know her own father. In Korea, wives keep their surnames upon marriage, and children are always listed under the father’s name in the paternal family registry. For a mother and child to share the same surname usually indicates that a father has not been present in the child’s life. In recent years, more divorced women are winning the right to register children under their family names — as did Choi Jin-shil — but generally children of divorced families keep the surnames they were born with (i.e., Dad’s). I’d say there’s still a lingering stigma attached to a child bearing his mother’s surname.

This explains Eun-jo’s disgust with her mother’s parade of boyfriends, those men to cling to and mooch off of and leave when there’s nothing left to take anymore. Not only do they have to live with those dirtbags, they’re actually dependent upon them — so I see a lot of self-loathing mixed in with the outward disgust.

I love the way Eun-jo’s character has been established, because she is simultaneously fierce and vulnerable. On the surface she’s all teenage angst, but there’s nothing bratty about it because it’s rooted in something genuine and sad. Because she tries so hard to put up that defensive front, it’s a little heartbreaking to glimpse the cracks when her childish fears show through — like when she is told she can go to school. That one detail gave me a little heart pang — that she really just wants a normal life and an education. And when Dae-sung agrees to give that to her, she is both mollified and a bit distrusting, like it would hurt too much to believe him in case it doesn’t come true.

That’s what Moon Geun-young does so well in this role. It’s not the brash talking or the bravado that I’m impressed with — it’s the way she rolls together hope, mistrust, and fear.

As I mentioned in the first-impressions post, the chemistry between Moon and Chun Jung-myung has me intrigued, and I’m totally invested in their relationship. The chase scene is obviously a hugely important moment, but so is the quieter scene after, when he talks to her. He doesn’t condescend to her, and he doesn’t make false promises. Anyone who pushes Eun-jo too hard is likely to get shut down swiftly, and anyone who approaches too tentatively would get dismissed as weak. Instead, he just lays out the truth, acknowledging that she probably has some fears and gives her a compromise. He isn’t trying to convince her for a selfish reason, but makes the argument with her best interests at heart, and as a result he gets through to her in a way nobody else has.

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can i be the one to give the 100th comment? xP

anyways.. I don't usually leave comments here however, this drama made me. Last time I did it was for YB's recaps...

I'm definitely hooked in this drama.
maybe it's because of MGY's comeback? or
CJM's presence? oorrrr...
the excitement on seeing how this drama would unfold as it goes on.

either way, I'm pretty sure this would be one of my favorite drama for the year 2010.

and yeah... I tried watching PT based from it's thread in soompi saying it's better than CU. but I practically skipped a LOT of parts. i dunno why but it just didn't give me the "impact".

~no offense to those who prefer PT though.

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I can relate to this story in many ways; my mother has gone through several marriages and I've experienced few low lives stepfathers. If I were to write a novel, based on my life, it will be more tragic than this kind. All those fears EunJo surface, I have gone through those exact ones myself in my lifetime.

EunJo's spunk reflects a lot of myself... and it's not make believe.

Did I profess how I like this series? Well, now I know why.

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I really like how they've switched the perspective of the story...and i feel myself bonding with both MGY and SeoWoo....although somewhere inside wants EunJo and KiHoon to be together....i sincerely hope that for once cinderella doesn't get her man^^

also i cant wait for little JungWoo to grow up so that Taecyeon can arrive!! i'm so curious to how the story will pan out as you don't know how far they will take Cinderella's story~~

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Thanks for recapping this series, JB. I was hooked from the first scene. MGY does an amazing job on the mature teen angst character and although annoying, SW does a great job as the clueless angelic younger sister.

Like you, I am intrigued as to how the relationship between EJ and KH will develop. I also wonder what the actual story/plot will be. I just hope there is not too much struggle for EJ to the extent where we say 'enough already! let the poor girl go!'. I hope there is no tragic ending. We all want EJ to find her happiness, right?

Looking forward to episode 2!!

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Wow. That was brilliant. I'm officially hooked by this drama. I thought I was going to like PT more, since WISFC stupid angst fiasco I've been avoiding melodrama genre just like a plague. But through your awesome recap, as it's always been, I'm now intrigued to see what will happen aftermath, after all we've been served by this intricate relationship between the characters in the 1st episode.
It's likely that the infamous love rectangle will form between them (this particular affair is certainly a must in kdrama world). Although I'm still unsure yet how in the world that big fat kiddo will transform into a beastly six pack idol Ok Taekyeon? I hope the scriptwriter and Taek himself won't ruin all that in the upcoming episodes.
And I think after reading this recap and from this moment on, I'm gonna put this on my TOP list, and PT followed in second. ;)

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awesome

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Wonderful recap! :D I saw the first two episodes yesterday. So good. I can't wait to see Eun-jo and Ki-hoon's relationship develop even more.

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Thank you for the recap JB,

MGY is great as always, nothing to critisize, just to praise. What makes me curios is for the following episodes is SW's acting. She has really the harder role catched here.
Playing a care-free, bubbly, happy teenie as an actress in her age, in my eyes must be very difficult. And as the drama will jump for several years, we will see her as the Cinderella as she supposed to be. Hard times, suffering...Then SW has to show us the full impact of her talent, like she did in Crush&Blush, Paju and also Tamna.

Wow, this will be a nice acting combat between SW and MGY and I am looking forward as I LOVE bothe actresses in a equal way.

Well one thing is funny again, the age gap of HAN JUNG-WOO (Taecyeon) in this drama. So how old is he in Ep.1 ?
Even if he fall for SW later, isnt he to young, too ?
Strange casting again. Well lets see in the upcoming eps, where this age gap will lead us to.

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before these three dramas started "cindrella's sister" was at the bottom of my watch list...personal taste was my first option..but since viikii is not translating PT right now and dramabeans gave CS a good review so i was like lets check out what it is...and that was a very good thing i did :D
the characters are so well portrayed by each and every actor, the story seems quite promising and the leads have wonderful chemistry right from the very first episode...and that hair pin running scene...the only word that can describe it is WOW..i literally got goosebumps after watching it...simply beautiful....i cant wait to see these character after the time skip...and i really agree this drama has created some emotional connection with the audience from the very first episode...
i wish the very best to the the CS team and hope its rating stay high till the end...

also thanks JB for the wonderful recap :D

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Great recap, JB! :)

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Thank you so much for your recaps.. it's so clear as to how the characters are and the depth of the story.
I think this is one of my fave drama currently... it's kinda gloomy and humorous at the same time. I think the moon did an amazing job. I'm really drawn to her character. Like you said I like her character because she display a strong upfront just to protect her being hurt and at the same time is vulnerable inside. This is different than all other k dramas where the characters tend to be stupid- (which can be so annoying at times)

This is kinda out of topic but I haven't watch personal taste just yet i find it to be ANOTHER ROMANTIC/COMEDY drama - I might watch it whens it's done but doesn't really interest me

On the other hand i think this drama is great a little different set up than all the other drama.

thanks again for the recaps

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I did a cinderella sister marathon again and did I say the soundtrack is great ? I especially love this music when EJ is chased by KH, during the slow motion whith her hair down.
When HS says "Unni ! AGNAN !" : striking... I said to myself "WELCOME !"
The lollypop scene still makes me laugh : "are you idiot ?" HS face looked like daffy duck "Hu ?". Her reaction is so hilarious. EJ is really cynical and mean. Great Job.

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I must've watched that chase scene 10 times over and over again... it was so beautiful. I cannot wait until more episodes come out! Thanks Javabeans for the recaps.. the subs I get is not very good... alot of the writing isn't translated.

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Oh, Chun Jung-Myung, how I've missed you since What's Up Fox! This will definitely quench my drama addiction. lol

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A drama that I can't predict after the first ep? Im in, the first ep was really solid, set up alot of things without being ridden with crappy cliches. Hope it gets stronger, do we have a hallyu hit on our hands here? Maybe, just maybe.

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Thanks for the review! I just watched the first and second episodes last night. What I'm interested in is Taecyeon.... there's going to be a major time leap soon? is that it?

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Thank you so much for the recap. I don't have the guts to really sit through a melodrama, but I do want to know what happens! I love how complex the characters are and Moon Geun Young looks beautiful! I like how even Seo Woo's character is sort of messed up- she has an unusual fixation on finding a mother figure even though she's like 15 at this point. I wonder if there is a story behind her mother's death to leave her so traumatized. Like did her mother die right before a birthday? before a school play she promised to attend? And I like how MGY's mother isn't evil- she's just a weak woman.

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Totally addicted to this drama already. 'm completely unsure of what's to come and the prospect of finding out is just too exciting!

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I must be the only one who thought the 1st episode was okay, decent but not great. I guess I had too high of an expectation prior to the premier because of the wonderful cast line-up and ended up a lil bit disappointed.

Storyline's actually pretty intriguing, esp on the contrast of EJ and HS's family backgrounds. And how they actually have inner struggles and yearnings despite coming from different situational circumstances. Both MGY and SW are very good actresses.. but somehow I found both to have been a bit too overbearing and unrestrained in their expressions and emotions. I didn't really buy EJ's fierce and piercing glares and HS actually came off a bit annoying at times. I have no problems with their characters and they're supposed to come off in the drama, but it's the acting which I'm a bit iffy about. Maybe I'm just being too picky... or maybe I've not seen enough of EJ's past to buy into how and why she's acting the way she is...

Chun Jung Myung's doing pretty okay. Not much to say about him since he's pretty 1 dimensional so far. His smiles were as usual, charming and endearing. But so far nothing great or WOW from him yet.

So far so good, but as for now, it's passable.

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After 2 sweet and cute dramas... i.e. OML and PT... I say bring on the dark side in this...

Need to see more to get the feel... but so far I like the pace... I dunno if the characters was suppose to come off this way... but oh boy, Hyo Sun annoys me, even in just the screencap itself...I hope Eun Jo cynical character outgrows... and Lee Mi Sook... my goddess... but absolutely do not love her character here...And the idea of a rotund kid growing up to be Taecyeon's character, make me smile like an idiot...

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yipee!! am glad ur recapping this drama.....still haven't read the above, have decided to first leave my comments here to say my thanks from the bottom of my heart for ur recaps....have watched the first 2eps for the nth times already and still can't get enough of it and been crossing my fingers this past few days hoping for ur recaps coz reading ur insights is a joy always.....what am hoping now is finding the site for its raw videos for this drama and my happiness will be complete....am off now to read the above....again a million thanks for ur recaps!

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just dont know why...i couldnt seem liking this drama...most of ur comments are positive...and that's what am bothered about...

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somehow, i was tired with EJ's attitude. i know she has bad experiences and all, but she just cant make it as reasons to be rude to everyone. i know it wasnt her fault but she grows up like that, but people just cant justified her just because she's too pitiful..

actually i had a classmate like her when i was in highschool.. she comes from a very pitiful background but her attitude is just too much to handle. everyone treated her nicely and ready to forgive everything but she just being rude and hurt everyone as much as she likes. people have hearts too.

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:) nice read

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Me too ara. At episode 2 I grew tired of EJ's character. She acts as if other people are not human too. But MGY is WONDERFUL in her role.

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wow such lot of comments for one episode of drama recaps. it makes me wonder how good this drama is. the main reason i'm interested in this drama must got to be something to do with MGY. after i watched the painter of the wind (if i never saw her before, i probably thought she is a real boy in first episode of that drama), i have no doubt she is very good actress.
honestly, i don't like read drama recaps. but it gives me hint for next drama to watch, so at the end i still read drama recap even if it is just a glimpse look. thanks javabean...

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i feel like cinderella unni gonna become the next YAB in this thread not in term of story wise but fandom wise...

CJM and MGY just look so adorable together..!!

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hi JB, you made my other dream come true......I was hoping you would recap CS and you did !

Love your insights into this drama, as always!

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Even looking the picture makes my breath taking...I will surely buy this series too keep it.

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@23 ara
I wonder if that is what the writer is aiming for. There are a lot of pitiful characters in dramaland who do/say unlikable things because the world has hurt them....so in this having Eun-jo continue to be unfriendly and surly like this even when things are changing for the better and there are people now willing to be nice to her sort of cements her Cinderella's evil stepsister status instead of appearing like some alternate universe Cinderella. I rolled my eyes when I found out a few months before the drama starts that MGY's character was going to be some misunderstood character who was only mean because the world is cruel (why can't a character just be unfriendly and mean just because they are?)...but it does add a layer when she continues to be like this. She is not going to be tamed so easily.

I watched the first episode last night but it was impressive. i probably won't continue all of it because i can't sit through melodramas. I thought MGY could have taken it down a notch when she was arguing with her mother outside of Hyo-sun's house- but i think it is because at this pt Eun-jo is still a teen with a teen's emotions and vulnerability that it came off sort of too crazy. Anyways, the filming was beautiful and the melancholy atmosphere combined with a sprinkle of humor reminds me of the beginning episodes of In-soon is Pretty

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your recaps are always so well written

oof finally i managed to watch the 2 episodes of each wed-thu drama
and so far i like cinderella's sister most
the acting, directing and story are all good
it feels like a fairy tale
and about chase scene, i was like ..oh so pretty
looks like kbs has 3 cool shows in a row

prosecutor princess is fun
maybe it's because i liked legally blond i enjoyed it so much
i love fashion and shopping too
there is nothing wrong to be smart and at the same time to care a lot
about your looks

nice to see chuno daegil's buddies(somehow their characters are the same...)

personal taste
well i waited for more
i'll just watch further and see
lee minho is very handsome *sigh*

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Thanks JB again for great recaps.
I like the drama already right from episode 1 . The promotion in the past few months made me think that this drama was just another low quality one. But the acting and everything have made me impress and hook in
Please continue recap the next episodes .

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I absolutley loved the first episode as well. Even with your awesome recaps, I think this is an experience that one must take with watching it themselves. It was great, just amazing. I loved the characters and really, this drama was like movie quality!

p.s. did anyone else think that Moon geun Young's expression on the train when she was closing seo woo's mouth looked like chun jung myungs pained expression? lol, I love him so much, I even know his expressions.

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Thanks for the great recapped. Definitely CS is looking to be the best if not one of the best 2010 Korean dramas alongside Dong Yi and Catch a Falling Star. The chemistry between Moon Gueum Young's character and Chun Jung Myung' as Ki Hoon is merely sizzling . This particular chemistry is nowhere found in the Personal Taste main characters. I am hooked and can't hardly wait for episode 3 next week.

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Really great recap for a wonderful drama. Thanks

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Gosh, Moon Geun Young isn't beauty at all but Seo Woo's face is creppy ugly :/ Whenever she smiles she scares me :|

Anyways, good drama. Good recap.

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Dramabeans,
tq for recap CS, i love CJM and MGY acting..hope u recaps all the episode...CJM smile make me melt..

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Someone says the actor and actress are not pretty at all or sth. I think what makes this drama great is that they are exploring new sides of the classical cinderella story. Besides, they are really successful in arranging the background of the story so suitably and with emotions. Not because MGY was a child star, but she actually did her acting very very well. Her emotions make us moved and persuaded.

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Thank you dramabeans for a very sotiphicated recap of this episode.

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Agree with #136. It's a little too much and quite annoying watching both female leads MYG and SW, especially MYG. She is a good actor but her mean looking face makes me not continue watching the drama. I prefer a light-heart drama with a smart and sweet role, not as whinny as SW. I like CJM's smile but it's not enough to continue watching the drama.

Have to go with Personal taste even though the female lead is quite old and not attractive at all , from her wardrobe, her hairdo,... Song Kye Hyo is a much better choice for the role.

Well, can not have every thing in life even with a drama.

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waahh!!!
there's too many comments to read them all..

i just finished watching CU and PT's first ep today, i gota say i like CU better since the lady lead in PT is abit dense(?)..although i wanted to see PT for minho's sake, as for CU i don't have any attachments to the artists, but when i saw ki-hoon smile when they fetched eun-jo, it's to die for, literally melts my heart!!!

i'm actually worried for my OML even if they are on different days..but i'm pretty sure i won't be giving up OML anytime soon since i'm a huge siwon and suju fan..and atleast the lady lead isn't so bad as PT..

so that makes 3 dramas to watch this summer (here in the philippines)..

thank you so much jb for the recaps =D

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totally in love with this drama. i hope it will get better and better. thanks for the recap!

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I usually like fun drama more than melodrama. So I picked PT to watch first. But after watching ep1&2 of PT and CS, I have switched my preference.

MGY is really a good actress. I have watched a lot of her works since Autumn in My Heart. No wonder she got the grand prize at such young age. I hope that she can work with JGS in the future. They are my two favourites currently.

CJM grew more handsome after army days. I don't find him attractive in the past. But he appears like young Leon Lai now.

I have not watched SW's dramas in the past but I think SW's character is designed to be annoying with her "innocent" and "childish" look. So please do not blame the lady 'cause she is only doing her job to play this role. But her face looks really plastic to me.

My prediction is that Cinderella's sister is the poor lady while Cinderella has caused her sister a lot of pain unintentionally at the beginning but become wretched later when the men (CJM and TY) she liked all fall for MGY.

Personal Taste is rather plain to begin with. LMH is just ok. I like SYJ a lot. But her look in the first 2 eps is too ugly. I hope that she can turn more beautiful in the later eps.

Comparing the 2 dramas, CS has a more addictive storyline. So like someone has suggested, I will watch CS first and then PT - to get sad first and then to get some comfort from the fun drama.

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WOW ! How many people did bring Seo Woo in Hospital to do plastic surgery ? How much money did you get to do that ?

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I just finished watching episode 1, and WOW. I love how MGY's Eun-Jo is a little deer-like, how her instincts tend towards the animalistic. For once, I love the narration. The chemistry between her and Chun Jung Myung is really something - I was wondering if the pencil that fell from her hair is supposed to parallel cinderella's shoe? I like it that they make subtle parallels like this, instead of making a super big deal about it, with him picking up the pencil and mooning over it, saving it for future remember-whens.... somehow I'm not enthralled by the music, but the acting, the pacing, the editing, the cinematography... I'm in!

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Please do episode 2 recap :D

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I LIKE this one even more than I really thought I would

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I am quite impressed with this first episode. If it keeps up at this rate I will be thoroughly hooked. Fantastic cast!

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thanks for the recap. it sounds intense. i don't know if i want to start something that's pretty heavy right at the beginning like this... maybe later, after I finish PT?

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kim gab soo seems like he's in every drama i'm watching right now, lol. Chuno, jejoongwon, merchant and now this one. He must work really hard, wow.

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